Beef and leek pide

I believe that the first time I saw/heard of Turkish pizza was watching one of the episodes of the fantastic Ottolenghi's Mediterranean Island Feast, a long time ago – what he actually made was called lahmacun and it looked absolutely delicious, topped with a fresh salad.

Fast forward many months and I was reading about pide recipes on a magazine (the Australian Delicious, if I am not mistaken) and it looked similar to Ottolenghi’s lahmacun, however shaped slightly differently. I decided to then search about it some more, and ended up making my own version of it.

I first made pides for lunch on a lazy Saturday, already expecting compliments from my husband for he loves sfihas; However, he went so crazy about them that from the second time onwards I started making 1 ½ recipes each time – 4 pides were not enough for the both of us. :D

Beef and leek pide
own recipe, inspired by several others

Dough:
1 teaspoon dried yeast
½ teaspoon granulated sugar
1/3 cup (80ml) lukewarm water
¼ cup (60ml) lukewarm whole milk
1 ¼ cups (175g) all purpose flour
¼ cup (35g) whole wheat flour
½ teaspoon table salt
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Filling:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large leek (120g/4oz), white/light green parts only, sliced
2 large garlic cloves, minced
250g (9oz) beef mince
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
2 ripe tomatoes, deseeded and diced
salt and freshly ground black pepper
handful of fresh parsley leaves, chopped

For brushing the dough:
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

Start with the dough: in the bowl of an electric mixer, combine yeast, sugar, water and milk and mix with a fork. Set aside until foamy, about 5 minutes. Add flours, salt and olive oil and mix using the hook attachment for about 8 minutes or until dough is elastic and smooth – if mixing by hand, 12-14 minutes should be enough. Form dough into a ball, transfer to a large lightly oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Set aside in a draft-free area for about 1 hour or until doubled in volume.

While dough is proofing, make the filling: heat butter on a large saucepan over medium heat until melted. Add the leek and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute or until fragrant. Add the beef and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, 5-7 minutes. Stir in the paprika, the tomatoes, season with salt and pepper and cook for another 3-5 minutes or until tomatoes are soft. Stir in the parsley, remove from the heat and cool completely.

Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F. Line a large baking sheet with foil.
Divide the dough into 4 equal portions. Roll each portion into a rough 25cm (10in) long oval shape. Spread the cooled filling along the center. Pinch the edges together so your pide looks like a boat. Transfer to the prepared sheet and brush the dough with olive oil and bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Serve at once.

Makes 4

Sweet pea salmon pie - turning a piece of fish into something delicious

Talking to my husband the other day about food, we once again came to the conclusion that we don’t eat fish as often as we should, which is such a shame.

I did not make any promises, for breaking them makes me frustrated and that is something I really don’t need right now – instead, I decided to make roasted salmon for lunch: seasoned with lemon zest and juice, salt and pepper, baked over a layer of sliced leeks – very simple yet very delicious.

I did have left about 200g of salmon, and I did not want to eat it cooked in the same way, so I used it to make Jamie Oliver’s fish pie – he uses a combination of white fish, shrimp and salmon, but I made it with salmon only for it was what I had around. I also reduced the recipe considerably for the original serves 8 people.

It was my first fish pie ever and as I placed it in the oven it looked and smelled really good. My husband was at work, so I texted my sister and asked what she felt about having fish pie for lunch – I know she’d never had fish pie before, so I described the dish for her, and her reply was: “I have never have that, but I love everything in it – I’m coming over!”. :D

The pie tasted delicious and despite the mashed potatoes on top it is such a light dish – we devoured it but it never felt like we’d eaten a lot.

Sweet pea salmon pie
slightly adapted from the delicious Save with Jamie: Shop Smart, Cook Clever, Waste Less

250g potatoes
½ lemon
10g unsalted butter
100g frozen peas
1 small carrot
½ onions
olive oil
1 cup (240ml) whole milk
200g salmon
1 tablespoon all purpose flour
25g frozen spinach
pinch of freshly ground nutmeg
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F.

Peel the potatoes and cut into small chunks, then put them into a small saucepan of boiling salted water for 10-15 minutes, or until cooked through. Drain and mash with a pinch of salt and pepper, the zest from the lemon and the butter.
Place the frozen peas in a colander, pour over some boiling water to defrost them, then drain well and pulse a few times in a food processor. Fold them through the mashed potato to create a rippled effect, then leave to one side.

Peel and chop the carrot and onion and cook them in a wide 2 ½ cup-capacity ovenproof dish with a drizzle of oil for 15 minutes, or until softened but not colored, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, heat the milk in a small saucepan on a medium heat. Once simmering, add the salmon and cook for around 10 minutes, or until cooked through, then use a slotted spoon to remove them to a plate, taking the pan off the heat. Remove the skin from the salmon.

Stir the flour into the carrots and onions, then gradually add half the milk, a tablespoon at a time, stirring continuously (discard the remaining milk). Stir in the spinach until broken down, then season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.
Flake in the salmon and the juice from ¼ of the lemon and stir gently to combine.

Top with the pea-spiked mash and smooth out, scuffing it up slightly with a fork or a spoon to give it great texture. Bake for 25-35 minutes, or until golden and the filling is bubbling.

Serves 2

Patchwork strawberry & apple pie

As if being a cookbook junkie wasn’t enough, I’m hooked on food magazines as well – Donna Hay, Gourmet Traveller and Delicious Australia are my favorites, but there are others I adore, too, and use very often. BBC Good Food always comes with delicious recipes from people like Mary Berry and James Martin, and the photos are beautiful (I highly recommend a visit to the magazine’s website).

Months ago, a strawberry and gooseberry pie was published, and the patchwork topping looked gorgeous – it reminded me of the strawberry and rose hazelnut tart I made years ago. Because gooseberries are impossible to find here in Brazil I replaced them with something equally tart and flavorsome, a Granny Smith apple – the result was truly great.

Patchwork strawberry & apple pie
adapted from the delicious Good Food mag

Pastry:
1 large egg, at room temperature, separated
225g unsalted butter, soft but not greasy
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon table salt
350g all purpose flour

Filling:
400g ripe strawberries, halved, or quartered if large
75g granulated sugar
1 large Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored and finely diced
pinch of ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons semolina or ground almonds

Pastry: put the egg yolk, butter, vanilla, sugar and salt in a food processor, and pulse until creamy and soft. Add the flour and pulse until the mixture comes together in clumps – don’t overwork it. Tip onto a lightly floured surface and squish the dough together. Split into 2 pieces, one slightly larger than the other, then shape into rectangles. Wrap in cling film and chill for 2 hours.

Meanwhile, make the filling: put the strawberries and sugar in a wide pan and cook for 5 minutes or until syrupy. Drain in a colander over a bowl and leave to cool completely (reserve the syrup to be served with the pie later on).

Lightly butter a 35x10cm (14x4in) tart pan with a removable bottom and line it with the larger piece of pastry. Prick the base several times with a fork, then freeze for 40 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F and place a baking sheet in the oven. Line the pastry with foil and fill with baking beans. Bake on top of the baking sheet for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and beans, and bake for a further 10 minutes or until the bottom of the pastry is golden and feels sandy. Roll the second pastry disc to roughly the size of the tart and cut into 4cm squares. Refrigerate for 5 minutes.
Scatter the semolina or almonds over the pastry base (this will help to prevent a soggy bottom). Add the apple and cinnamon to the drained berries, mix to combine, then place on top of the semolina/ground almonds. Space the pastry squares over the tart, brush with the egg white. Wrap only the edge of the pie with a collar of foil to protect it from overcooking (I didn’t do that), then bake for 30 minutes or until golden and crisp. Serve warm with thick cream and the fruity pink syrup in a jug for pouring.

Serves 6-8

Dulce de leche apple pies

When it comes to fruit desserts I need no convincing: I'll choose them over chocolate ones any day. Therefore, I got really curious when I saw the recipe for these pies: apple and dulce de leche together? Would that work? I don't think apple pies need any embellishment, but the idea of adding ddl intrigued me too much and I had to try it - what can I say? Delicious Australia was right again, for a change. :)

Dulce de leche apple pies
from the always delicious Delicious - Australia

Pastry:
2 ½ cups (225g) all purpose flour
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons icing sugar, sifted
150g chilled unsalted butter, roughly chopped
2-3 tablespoons ice water

Filling:
600g (about 3) Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, roughly chopped
¼ cup (56g) unsalted butter
3 tablespoons water
½ cup dulce de leche
1 egg, lightly beaten, for brushing
2 tablespoons granulated sugar

Pastry: place flour, cinnamon, icing sugar and butter in a food processor, and process until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Gradually add the water (you might not need all of it) and process until the mixture starts to form a dough. Gather dough into a ball, flatten into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour.
Make the filling: place the apples in a large saucepan with the butter and water. Place over low heat and cook, stirring occasionally, for 15-20 minutes or until the apples are soft and the liquid has been absorbed. Cool slightly then stir in the dulce de leche.
Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F. Grease a 6-hole Texas muffin pan, then line the holes with baking paper.
Roll out the pastry on lightly floured surface and cut out six 12cm circles. Bring the remaining pastry together and roll out again. Cut out six 6cm circles. Press larger pastry circles into the lined muffin holes. Fill with the apple mixture. Brush edges with egg, then top with the smaller pastry circles and gently press together the pastry edges to seal the pies. Use any leftover pastry to decorate the tops of the pies, then brush with egg. Sprinkle with the sugar and bake for 20-30 minutes or until golden.
Stand for 10 minutes in the pan, then carefully unmold onto a wire rack.
Serve warm or at room temperature with whipped cream or with vanilla ice cream

Makes 6 – I used a muffin pan with 1/3-cup capacity cavities and got 8 pies; I did not line the pan with paper – I did not think it would work to press pastry on top of paper – and even thought I’d generously buttered the pan the pies got stuck and getting them out of the pan was a nightmare :S
I guess that using tartlet pans with removable bottoms would work better.

Little fig and blackberry pies + "Sid & Nancy"

One of my goals for last year was to use my cookbooks more often and I am very pleased with how it turned out – I did use them a lot and intend to keep doing that. For 2012 I have a new goal: to watch more movies, especially the ones I, for some reason, did not watch in the theater.
I started off with “Sid & Nancy” – because of my Oldman-being-nominated frenzy – and well, one could say I started with the right foot: not only is the movie really good – deals in a very raw way with a very raw subject – but it also shows that this man was born to be an actor; he develops the character in such way that I had mixed feelings about him throughout the movie, and he adds, very subtly, a layer of frailty to Sid Vicious that one probably wouldn’t expect to see on a punk. I don’t need to tell you about the perfection of his visual transformation because that is something he’s done in every single movie he’s made so far. I really liked “Sid & Nancy” but drama is always my first movie option; if you’re a comedy kind of person think twice before watching it.

***

I live in an apartment and (unfortunately) do not own an orchard like Nigel Slater, but that doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy his delicious recipes – these wonderful pie recipe comes from “Tender II”; the pastry is so good and easy to work with that figs and blackberries do not need to be your first option for the filling – apples with a sprinkling of cinnamon is what I have in mind for the fall. :)

Little fig and blackberry pies
slightly adapted from the absolutely beautiful Tender, Volume 2 (mine was bought here)

Pastry:
1 2/3 cups (233g) all purpose flour
1/3 cup (46g) icing sugar, plus a little extra for dusting
pinch of salt
½ cup + 2 tablespoons (140g) unsalted butter, cold and diced
1 large egg yolk
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Filling:
200g blackberries – I used frozen, slightly thawed
4 large figs
2 tablespoons honey
juice of 1 lime
2/3 cup (66g) almond meal

Lightly butter four 10x5cm (4x2in) deep tartlet or mini cake pans. Set aside.
Place flour, icing sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor and blitz to combine and remove any lumps. Add the butter and process until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Add the yolk and the vanilla and process just until the dough starts to come together. Transfer dough to a large piece of plastic wrap and bring it together into a disk, then into a fat cylinder. Chill for at least 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F. Rinse the fruit, roughly chop the figs, and toss with the blackberries, honey, lime juice and almond meal.
Cut the pastry into four, then flatten each piece on a floured board and use to line the tart pans, leaving the excess pastry overhanging the edges. Pile the filling into the tart cases, then loosely fold over the pastry – it should not meet in the center, but instead leave a gap through which the fruit is visible.
Place the tarts on a baking sheet and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the pastry is very golden and the fruit is bubbling. Dust with a little icing sugar and eat warm or at room temperature.

Makes 4 – I made the tartlets using these mini cake pans (with removable bottoms)

Golden mixed greens pie

It might look like I live on sweets, but no – I eat savory food, too, and try to eat my greens as frequently as possible. :)
This tart is delicious and not difficult to make – you just need to plan accordingly so the dough has time to rise and the good thing is: you can make it in advance and reheat it before serving.

Golden mixed greens pie
slightly adapted from the absolutely gorgeous Home Baking: The Artful Mix of Flour and Traditions from Around the World

Dough:
1 teaspoon active dry yeast
2 tablespoons warm whole milk
1 cup (140g) all purpose flour
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon sugar
¾ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
½ cup (60g) cake flour*
melted butter, for brushing

Filling:
1 large bunch dandelion greens or other bitter greens – I used escarole
1 large bunch spinach
½ tablespoon olive oil + more if necessary
1 garlic clove, minced
1 scallion, white and most of green parts, chopped
salt, to taste (about ¾ teaspoon)
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
1 ½ tablespoons pine nuts, lightly toasted and cooled

Dough: dissolve the yeast in the lukewarm milk and stir in 1 ½ tablespoons of the all purpose flour.
Break the eggs into the large bowl of an electric mixer (attached with the dough hook) and lightly whisk them with a fork. Add the yeast mixture and the remaining all purpose flour and mix on low speed until very smooth. Add the sugar, salt and butter and mix well. Add the cake flour and knead on low speed for 5 minutes or until smooth.
Transfer the dough to a lightly buttered large bowl, cover well with plastic and let rise until doubled, about 2 hours.
Meanwhile, make the filling: chop the greens into 2.5cm (1in) pieces, discarding any thick stems.
In a very large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and scallions and cook for about 1 minute, until the scallions begin to soften. Raise the heat to high, add the chopped greens, salt and pepper and cook, stirring constantly, for about 1 minute or until greens are wilted (work in batches if necessary). Transfer the greens to a plate and let cool to room temperature. Taste for salt the stir through the nutmeg and pine nuts.
Preheat the oven to 230°C/450°F. Line a large baking sheet with foil then lightly brush the foil with oil.
Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and cut into 2 slightly unequal pieces: the larger one will be the bottom crust. Flatten the larger piece of dough onto an oval about 40x25cm (16x10in) and transfer onto the prepared sheet. Press the filling onto a colander, using your hands too, to extract the maximum water possible. Spread the filling over the dough leaving a generous 2.5cm (1in) rim all around uncovered. Roll the remaining piece of dough onto an oval about 37x20cm (15x8in). Place it over the filling and fold the edges of the bottom dough up over the edges of the top to seal the edges in the filling, then twist it, making a twisted rolled edge all round. Use a sharp knife to make slits in the top crust. Brush with the melted butter (I forgot to do that).
Bake the pie for 8 minutes, then lower the heat to 200°C/400°F and bake for another 8-10 minutes or until pie is deep, rich golden brown.
Transfer the pie to a wire rack and cool for 20 minutes.
Serve warm or at room temperature.

* homemade cake flour: 1 cup (140g) all purpose flour minus 2 tablespoons + 2 tablespoons corn starch

Serves 8-10

Mini blueberry pies with a lattice top and finding solutions to small problems

My sister and I go to the movies on a pretty regular basis and she says that her favorite time of all was when we watched "The Wolfman": the clerk refused to sell her a ticket because she was not old enough to watch the movie (the same movie, on several other theaters, had been rated for people younger than her); it was a Tuesday right after lunchtime and there was no one in the theater; we walked around for a couple of minutes, then came back and bought two tickets for "Tooth Fairy" – but entered “The Wolfman” theater instead (for the record, I only did it because we were the only people in the theater, aside from the clerks). :D

Small problems and simple solutions.

I’d had this recipe bookmarked since the book arrived, a couple of months ago, but the original pie, baked in a large pie plate, called for 5 cups of fresh blueberries; Fresh blueberries are pretty expensive here in Brazil – I really wasn’t in the mood for spending that amount of money in 5 cups of berries. But 2 cups I could definitely afford – so I reduced the recipe and baked it in small tartlet pans.

Small problems and simple solutions. :D

Mini blueberry pies with a lattice top
slightly adapted from the wonderful cooking/baking bible The Essential New York Times Cookbook

Pastry:
2 cups (280g) all purpose flour
2/3 cup (94g) confectioners’ sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
¾ cup (170g) unsalted butter, very chilled and diced
1 ½ tablespoons finely grated lemon zest
1 large egg yolk (plus 1 more if needed)
2 tablespoons heavy cream

Filling:
5 cups blueberries
3 tablespoons corn starch
¾ cup (150g) superfine sugar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon salt
whipped cream, for serving

Start by making the pastry: combine flour, confectioners’ sugar, salt and baking powder in the bowl of a food processor and pulse a few times. Add the butter cubes and pulse until the mixture is reduces to flakes. Add the lemon zest, 1 egg yolk, and the heavy cream and pulse 5 times – the dough is ready when it comes together when pressed with your fingertips. If necessary, add another egg yolk.
Gather the dough into 2 balls, one slightly larger than the other flatten each into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
Make the filling: mix together the blueberries, corn starch, sugar, lemon juice and salt in a large bowl.
Roll out the large disk of pastry between 2 pieces of lightly floured baking paper. When it is 3mm (1/8-in) thick, remove the top layer of paper and invert the pastry onto a lightly buttered pie dish. Peel off the other piece of paper and, without stretching the dough, press it into the dish. Chill.
Roll out the other disk of dough 3mm (1/8-in) thick. Slice into 1.25cm (½-in) strips. Chill the strips on a baking sheet.
Remove the pie shell from the fridge and pour the berry mixture into it. Arrange the strips of pastry in a lattice pattern on top. Cut the overhang dough to nearly 2cm (¾ in), then roll it up and over the lattice, making a neat rounded border. Crimp the border. Chill the pie while you preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F.
place the pie plate onto a baking sheet and bake for 40-45 minutes or until the filling bubbles at the edges and the crust is golden brown – if the crust starts to brown too quickly tent the pie with a piece of foil.
Cool the pie on a wire rack. Serve with whipped cream.

Serves 8 – I halved the pastry recipe above + 2/5 of the filling recipe, used 9cm tartlet pans and got 5 tartlets (baked for 30 minutes)

Spinach and three-cheese pie and conquering fears

I once watched an interview with Carrie Ann Moss, back when she was promoting "Red Planet", in which she said that wearing a space helmet for the film had been a very difficult thing since she was claustrophobic. She joked and said something like “one fear down, many more to go”.

Carrie Ann, my friend, I know the feeling: now that I’ve made a filo pie without tearing the bejeesus out of the pastry I’m ready to conquer another fear. Heights, maybe? ;)

Spinach and three-cheese pie
adapted from Modern Classics 1

5 sheets ready prepared filo pastry
3 ½ tablespoons (50g) unsalted butter, melted
1 bunch spinach, trimmed and blanched*
½ cup (100g) ricotta, crumbled
¼ cup (50g) feta, crumbled
¼ cup (20g) finely grated parmesan
3 eggs
½ cup (120ml) heavy cream
2 tablespoons chopped chives
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F. Lightly butter a 20x10cm (8x4in) shallow ovenproof baking dish**.
Layer one sheet of the filo pastry on a clean, dry surface (keep the other sheets covered with a clean, damp kitchen towel to keep them from drying out), forming a 30x20cm (12x8in) rectangle, brush with melted butter and cover with another sheet. Repeat the process until you used all the sheets. Line the prepared baking dish with the filo sheets. In a bowl, mix together the spinach, ricotta, feta and parmesan. Top the pastry with the cheese mixture. In the same bowl, whisk together the eggs, cream, chives, salt and pepper and pour over the spinach mixture. Brush edges of pastry with remaining butter. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until egg is set and pastry is golden.

* place the spinach leaves in a pan of boiling water for 5 seconds, remove with a slotted spoon and immediately soak in a bowl of ice water. Remove from the water and squeeze excess liquid.

** I used a 20x15cm (8x6in) baking dish

Serves 2

Chocolate lime pie + popsicles on the side

A couple of days after talking to you about intuition I had an insight while making this pie: since the tart pan I was using was a bit smaller than the one called for on the recipe, there was some filling left. I stared at the velvety cream and thought it would taste amazing as some sort of frozen dessert – I immediately poured the cream into my popsicle molds and ended up with totally addictive treats; I think they were even better than the tart itself, but please do not tell Ms. Lawson I said so. ;)

Chocolate lime pie
again from the wonderful Nigella Kitchen

Base:
3 cups Graham-crackers or digestive cookies crumbs
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
4 tablespoons (56g) unsalted butter, softened
¼ cup bittersweet chocolate chips

Filling:
1 x 395g (14oz) can sweetened condensed milk, better if chilled
4-5 limes, to give approximately 2 tablespoons finely grated zest + ¾ cup (180ml) juice
1 ¼ cups (300ml) heavy cream
1 square bittersweet chocolate

Lightly butter a 23cm (9in) fluted tart pan, 5cm (2in) deep, with a removable bottom.
Put the crackers, cocoa powder, butter and chocolate chips in the bowl of a food processor and process until a sandy mixture forms. Transfer to the prepared tart pan and press onto the base and sides. Refrigerate while you make the filling.
Pour the condensed milk into the large bowl of an electric mixer. Zest the limes into a bowl, tightly cover with plastic wrap and set aside for decorating the tart later. Squeeze the juice of the limes until you get the required amount. Add the juice to the condensed milk and mix to combine.
Pour the heavy cream into the mixture and whisk in medium-high speed until thick. Spread over the tart base and refrigerate again for 4 hours or until filling is very firm (refrigerate for longer if your condensed milk was not chilled).
Before serving, grate the chocolate over the filling and sprinkle with the lime zest. Serve immediately – do not keep the pie out of the refrigerator for long.

Serves 6-8 – my tart pan wasn’t very deep, so there was some filling left; I made popsicles with it and they turned out delicious. :D

Summer nectarine and vanilla pie

Not sure why, but I’ve realized that as I get older very simple things make me really happy; do you feel the same way?

You wouldn’t believe how pleased I was by making a pie that looked like the ones I saw in cartoons when I was little – those pies put by the window to cool down. It really made me smile. :)

Summer nectarine and vanilla pie
adapted from Bon Appetit

Crust:
2 ½ cups (350g) unbleached all purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons caster (superfine) sugar
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup (1 stick/113g) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1.25cm (½in) cubes
½ cup (113g) chilled solid vegetable shortening, cut into 1.25cm (½in) cubes
5 tablespoons (or more) ice water
2 tablespoons whipping cream

Filling:
2/3 cup (133g) + 2 teaspoons caster (superfine) sugar
½ vanilla bean, cut crosswise into 1.25cm (½in) pieces
3 tablespoons unbleached all purpose flour
1.680g (3 ¾ pounds) firm but ripe nectarines, halved, pitted, each half cut into 4 slices (about 10 cups)
1 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

Start with the crust: blend flour, sugar, and salt in processor. Add butter and shortening; using on/off turns, blend until mixture resembles coarse meal. With the machine running, add the ice water and process until dough begins to clump together, adding more water by teaspoonfuls if dry. Gather dough together. Divide dough in half; flatten each half into disk. Wrap each disk in plastic and refrigerate at least 1 hour (can be made 3 days ahead. Keep refrigerated. If necessary, soften slightly at room temperature before rolling out).

Preheat to 200°C/400°F; lightly butter a 23cm (9in)-diameter glass pie dish.
Combine 2/3 cup of the sugar and the vanilla bean in processor; blend until vanilla bean is very finely minced. Sift vanilla sugar through strainer into large bowl; discard any large bits in strainer. Mix flour into vanilla sugar. Add nectarines to flour-sugar mixture and toss gently to coat.
Roll out 1 pie crust disk on floured surface to 30cm (12in) round. Transfer to prepared dish. Trim dough overhang to 1.25cm (½in). Spoon peach mixture into crust; dot with butter. Roll out second pie crust disk on lightly floured surface to 30cm (12in) round. Drape dough over peach filling; trim overhang to 4cm (1½in). Fold top and bottom edges under, pressing together to seal. Crimp edges decoratively. Using small sharp knife, cut 5cm (2in)-long X in center of top crust to allow steam to escape. Brush crust lightly with whipping cream; sprinkle with remaining 2 teaspoons sugar.
Place pie on rimmed baking sheet. Bake until crust is golden, nectarines are tender, and juices bubble thickly through cut in top crust, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Transfer pie to rack and cool until lukewarm, about 2 hours.
Serve pie lukewarm or at room temperature with vanilla ice cream.

Serves 8

Cinnamon-chocolate fruit mince tarts

I’d been meaning to make mincemeat pies forever, because I think they look absolutely adorable! But I always gave up at the idea of using suet, or anything similar to it.

That is why this recipe is perfect: besides being suet-free, both the pastry and the filling are delicious, with a not-very-Christmas-but-yummy hint of chocolate.

Cinnamon-chocolate fruit mince tarts
slightly adapted from Australian Gourmet Traveller

270g dark brown sugar
300g raisins
300g dried cranberries
3 tablespoons brandy
100g unsalted butter, melted
100g glacé orange, finely chopped
2 Granny Smith apples, coarsely grated
1 orange, finely grated zest and juice
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise, seeds scraped
100g dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids), coarsely chopped
1 ½ tablespoons demerara sugar, for scattering

Cinnamon pastry:
180g softened unsalted butter
200g pure icing sugar, sifted
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
4 eggs
500g all purpose flour
pinch of salt

Combine all ingredients except chocolate and demerara sugar in a large bowl, stir to combine, then spoon into sterilized jars* and refrigerate for at least 1 day or up to 2 weeks, inverting jar occasionally. Makes about 5 cups of fruit mince.
For cinnamon pastry, beat butter, sugar and cinnamon in an electric mixer until creamy, but not fluffy (4-5 minutes). Add eggs one at a time and beat until well combined. Beat in flour and salt, turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead lightly until just smooth (at this point I needed to add 1 ½ tablespoons of flour because the dough was too soft), then divide pastry in half, wrap each half in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 3 hours to rest.
Roll out each pastry half on a lightly floured surface to 3mm thick, cut out 11cm-diameter rounds with a pastry cutter, place on a tray and refrigerate until required. Cut out small stars or other decorative shapes from the pastry scraps, place on a tray lined with baking paper and refrigerate until required. Re-roll any remaining scraps to 3mm thick, refrigerate until firm (30 minutes), then cut out more rounds and decorative shapes with small biscuit cutters and add shapes to tray.
Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F; butter twenty four ½ cup (120ml) capacity muffin pans. Line the pans with the pastry rounds and refrigerate until required.
Add chocolate to fruit mince mixture, stir to combine. Spoon fruit mince mixture into each pastry-lined pan, leaving a 5mm gap at top. Top each with a pastry shape, brush lightly with water, scatter with demerara sugar and bake until pastry is golden and crisp (12-15 minutes). Cool completely in pans, then remove. Fruit mince tarts will keep stored in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

* I did not sterilize the jars and kept the mince mixture in the fridge for only 2 days

Makes 24 – I made 1/3 of the recipe above, used 1/3 cup (80ml) capacity pans and got 12 tartlets

Pear almond pies in cups

One of my all time favorite writers wrote in one of his plays: “I can resist anything except temptation”. Well, I can say that the moment I saw these cute pies I knew I’d not resist – I would have to make them.

I hope you don’t resist them, either. :)

Pear almond pies in cups
from Simple Essentials Fruit

4 firm pears, peeled, with stems intact
1 cup (200g) caster sugar
2 cinnamon sticks
4 cups (960ml) water

Almond filling:
¾ cup + 1 tablespoon (162g) caster sugar
40g unsalted butter, softened
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
¾ cup (180ml) heavy cream
2 eggs, separated
1 cup (100g) almond meal (finely ground almonds)
¼ cup + ½ tablespoon (40g) self raising flour, sifted

Place the pears, sugar, cinnamon and water in a saucepan. Cover and simmer over low heat for 15-20 or until the pears are just soft - if your pears are not too firm, less time is required. Allow to cool.
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F.
Place sugar, butter, vanilla, cream, egg yolks, almond meal and flour in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat until thick. Place the egg whites in a bowl and beat until soft peaks form. Fold the whites into the almond mixture and spoon into four 1 ½ cup (360ml) ovenproof dishes*. Press a pear into each and bake for 30 minutes or until the filling is firm and golden.

* I used slightly smaller cups, that’s why they seem to be so full

Serves 4

Apple and cinnamon mini pies

Thank you all for your votes and lovely comments – you guys are the best!

The award nomination may have been a huge surprise to me, but your reaction to it was not – you’ve supported me right from the start and have become a very important part of this blog. It is wonderful to share my kitchen experiments and love for food with you – it really makes my days a whole lot better. :)

Speaking of surprises, these mini pies looked and sounded simple – and indeed making them was not hard – but I did not imagine the filling would be so good.

Apple and cinnamon mini pies
filling adapted from Donna Hay magazine, pastry from Modern Classics Book 2

Pastry:
1 cup + 1 tablespoon (150g) all purpose flour
1 ½ tablespoons caster sugar
1/3 cup (75g) cold unsalted butter, chopped
1-1 ½ tablespoons iced water

Filling:
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, room temperature
1 large apple, peeled, cored and finely diced
2 ½ tablespoons caster sugar
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoon golden raisins
½ teaspoon corn starch
½ teaspoon water
1 egg yolk, lightly beaten with 1 teaspoon milk
granulated sugar, for sprinkling

Start by making the pastry: process the flour, sugar and butter in a food processor until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. White the motor is running, add enough iced water to form a smooth dough and process until just combined. Knead the dough lightly, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Now, prepare the filling: place the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat and cook until melted. Add the apples, sugar, cinnamon and raisins and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Cook for 5 minutes or until the apples are just tender. Place the corn starch and the water in a bowl and stir to combine. Add to the apple mixture and cook, stirring, for a further minute. Remove from the heat and allow to cool completely.

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F; butter four 9cm tartlet pans.
Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface or between two sheets of non stick baking paper, until 3mm thick, and cut eight 12cm circles from it. Line the prepared pans with four of the dough circles – make sure you leave a tiny overhang of dough. Divide the filling between each pan and top with the remaining dough – make sure you seal the filling well inside the tartlets, sticking the overhand of dough and dough circle together, pressing the edges with the back of a spoon; otherwise the lid might get loose after the pies are baked.
Use a small kitchen knife to trim the excess and to score the tops of the tartlets. Brush with the egg wash and sprinkle with the sugar.
Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden.

Makes 4

Free form cherry and blackberry pies

I got a little carried away with all the beautiful cherries available at this time of the year and ended up buying tons of them: some I ate – delicious! - and some were transformed into baked goods. :)

After some email talk with my friend Ana Elisa – she’d been deciding on whether or not to buy a food processor – I decided to buy one, too. I’ve been using it a lot and even regret not buying it earlier – making the pastry for these tarts was dead easy using my newest toy. :)

Free form cherry and blackberry pies
adapted from Donna Hay magazine

1/3 cup (75g) unsalted butter, cold and chopped
1 cup + 1 tablespoon (150g) all purpose flour
½ tablespoons caster sugar
1-1 ½ tablespoons iced water

Filling:
1 cup cherries, pitted and halved
1 cup blackberries
1 ½ tablespoons corn starch
2 ½ tablespoons caster sugar
finely grated zest of 1 small lemon
2 tablespoons almond meal
1 tablespoon caster sugar, extra

To make the pastry, process butter, flour and sugar in a food processor until mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. While the motor is still running, add enough iced water to form a soft dough. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
To make the filling, place the cherries and blackberries in a bowl, sift over the corn starch and add the sugar and lemon zest. Toss to combine.
Divide the pastry in half and roll each piece on a lightly floured surface to 3mm thick. Place the pastry on a large baking sheet lined with baking paper and sprinkle with the almond meal. Pile the berry mixture into the middle of each pastry disc and sprinkle with the extra sugar. Fold over the pastry to form an edge, partially enclosing the berries. Refrigerate for 20 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until pastry is golden and crisp.
Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

Serves 2

Caramel banana pie (and a trip down memory lane)

We have been celebrating Father's Day with a get together/lunch at my house ever since I got married, in 2005. I love it - besides my father, who is the star of the day, my brother and sister come too and they are both great people to have around (of course I'm biased. And I don't care). :)

Since I didn't want to make the same old desserts again (the sweetened condensed milk custard is my usual choice), I called my dad and asked what he wanted for dessert - he's not into sweets and not into chocolate, so I had to ask him.
His answer was a big surprise: "I'd like to have that banana pie your mother used to make for me. The one with the "dough snakes" on top".
"Ok, of course, I'll make it".

The thing is...
...


...


...

…I don't have the original recipe. I remembered my mother's banana pie, even in a detailed sort of way, but that was all. No recipe!!!! I started to panic.

My salvation: a recipe for pie crust found in Bon Appetit (July issue) + remembering a pie filling I used to make as a teenager for fruit pies + memories of the caramel banana topping.

My father loved the pie and told me it was exactly like my mom's. Even though I know he said that not to hurt my feelings, there's a smile on my face every time I think of his words. :D

Caramel banana pie

Crust:
2 ½ cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1.25cm (½-inch) cubes
½ cup chilled lard or frozen nonhydrogenated solid vegetable shortening, cut 1.25cm (½-inch) cubes – I used regular vegetable shortening
5 tablespoons (or more) ice water – I needed 6

Filling:
2 cups (480ml) + 3 tablespoons milk
5 tablespoons sugar
4 tablespoons corn starch
1 egg yolk - I forgot to add but I liked the result anyway
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Topping:
6 small bananas, sliced - approx. 2 1/2 cups
1 ½ cups sugar

Start making the crust: Blend flour, sugar and salt in processor. Add butter and lard; using on/off turns, blend until mixture resembles coarse meal. If making by hand (which I did): pinch and rub flour and fat between your thumb and fingertips (this works well if you have cook hands).
Transfer mixture to medium bowl. Add 5 tablespoons ice water and mix with fork until dough begins to clump together, adding more water by teaspoonfuls if dry. Gather dough together. Divide dough – I used ¾ of the dough for the crust and ¼ for the “snakes”; flatten each part into disk. Wrap each disk in plastic and refrigerate at least 1 hour.
Dough can be made 3 days ahead. Keep refrigerated. If necessary, soften slightly at room temperature before rolling out.

Preheat the oven to 180ºC/355ºF.
Roll out dough from the center out, lifting and rotating it frequently, clockwise and counterclockwise – I kept the dough wrapped in plastic while rolling it out.
Using the rolling pin, transfer the dough from countertop to pan (22cm/8.5in) and unfold it. Press it gently on the pan and cut off excess.
Blind bake until the crust starts to get golden; remove from the oven.

For the filling: pour 2 cups milk into a medium saucepan. Add sugar and mix well.
In a cup or small bowl, mix the 3 tablespoons milk and the corn starch until well dissolved. Add to saucepan and mix well.
Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until cream thickens.
Remove from heat, add vanilla and mix well. Set aside to cool, stirring every now and then to keep it free of lumps.

Make the topping: Place sugar in a large saucepan and cook it over low heat until caramels forms. Add the bananas, being careful not to get burned. Stir every once in a while and cook over low heat until the bananas soften and melt a little.
Remove from heat and set aside.

Assemble the pie: Pour the filling over crust and top it with the banana caramel mixture.
Make “snakes” with the remaining chilled dough and place them on the top of the pie, forming a sort of lattice effect.
Bake again, in a 200ºC/390ºF oven, this time for 25-30 minutes, until the “snakes” are baked.
Set aside to cool and refrigerate before serving.

Serves 8.